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Friday, January 05, 2007

HURT

Why Johnny Cash and "Hurt"?

I read somewhere that it's the song most likely to be at the top of the list of a forty-something male's favourite songs. And sure enough, it sits high on mine, though I doubt anything could ever knock "Freebird" by Lynyrd Skynyrd off the number one spot, or "Love Buzz" by Nirvana off the number two for that matter.

I'm a lifelong Cash fan, trendoids, having bought "Silver" back in '76 or '77 and progressed from there. So I was predisposed anyway to love a supreme example of his craft like "Hurt" (which is, in fact, his best-ever recording/ performance.) But it also moves me for a very personal reason: the song and video portray the feelings and the thoughts I get during my depressive episodes exactly--it is like a particularly elegant projection of the inside of my head. And being a narcissist I want to look at that. And fearing the severity of those episodes, I sometimes want to understand them, so they can be avoided next time.

Anybody who wants to understand the depression of a loved one who's driving them up the wall, go to my page on MySpace and watch the video. It opens a shut door and lets you peer inside.

Yeah, "Train of Love"...I don't know "Rusty Cage" though. I dip in and out of J.C.Ever hear the uncensored versions of the Folsom Prison and San Quentin concerts? "This show is being recorded...so you can't say 'hell' or 'shit.' How does that grab you Bob?"The man was pure gold.

I have had my head up my own rectal passage of course.I always avoided Soundgarden. I had an album of theirs but only listened to it once before giving it to someone who liked them. It's a cliche, but Nirvana were the only band I paid any attention to in those days--at least from America.Over here we had the Stone Roses and the Happy Mondays, who were VASTLY cooler.

I guess the link didn't transfer. Anyway, your loss. I'll let Lou Reed, Loretta Lynn, Bob Dylan, and a host of other great, story-telling artists know that you don't dig the Raconteurs. Don't come crying to me when you're not invited to all the good parties.:P

Speaking of covers, the worst one ever is Joan Baez's cover of "No Woman No Cry". In fact, it's probably the worst recording ever, cover or no. I love Joan as an artist AND as a middle-aged sexpot (she'd be so delighted to hear that), but stay away from Bob Marley covers, eh?

She was the recipient of the best ever put-down too. Bobby Neuwirth: "She has on one of those see-through dresses that you don't even want to."